


a shoebox of photographs with sepia-tone loving

by ohprongs



Series: canon(ish) fics [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: 2x06 Iron Sisters spoilers, Canon Compliant, F/M, Gen, Pre Canon, SH Love Fest, baby!clary, baby!simon, but doesn't actually spoil anything plot related in current!verse, it was inspired by dialogue in the new ep, kind of?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-10
Updated: 2017-02-10
Packaged: 2018-09-22 16:33:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9616148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohprongs/pseuds/ohprongs
Summary: It takes Luke approximately a half an hour longer to put the tent up than it should do, and rather than making herself useful Jocelyn just parks her butt on a log and laughs at him. He lifts an eyebrow at her second snort, turning to her with a deliberately put-out expression on his face."Did you wanna help?" he asks.Jocelyn grins at him and flings her hand out to gesture to the kids. "Sorry, got my hands full with the two of them. They're running riot."Luke glances over at where Clary and Simon are kneeling by a newly overturned log, chattering excitedly about the mini beasts they found hiding there."Riot.Right," Luke repeats flatly."Besides," Jocelyn says, quirking an eyebrow, "I'm quite enjoying the view."





	

**Author's Note:**

> i wasn't even meant to write this i swear i have so much uni work to do but i watched 2x06 and Got Feels
> 
> written for [edin](http://achilleanragnor.tumblr.com)’s [sh love fest](http://achilleanragnor.tumblr.com/post/154910608248/shadowhunters-valentines-day-fic-a-thon) day 10: familial love
> 
> title from _better together_ by jack johnson

It takes Luke approximately a half an hour longer to put the tent up than it should do, and rather than making herself useful Jocelyn just parks her butt on a log and laughs at him. He lifts an eyebrow at her second snort, turning to her with a deliberately put-out expression on his face.

"Did you wanna help?" he asks.

Jocelyn grins at him and flings her hand out to gesture to the kids. "Sorry, got my hands full with the two of them. They're running riot."

Luke glances over at where Clary and Simon are kneeling by a newly overturned log, chattering excitedly about the mini beasts they found hiding there. Clary's peering at something Simon has in his open palm, their heads so close together Luke wouldn't be surprised if one of them ended up getting bumped.

 _"Riot._ Right," Luke repeats flatly.

"Besides," Jocelyn says, quirking an eyebrow, "I'm quite enjoying the view."

If Luke flexes his arms a little in his T-shirt at her words, no one has to know.

Jocelyn laughs again and springs up from the log, volunteering that she's going to find some firewood. Luke's smiling as he turns back to wrestle with the tent. How hard can it be, really? He's a  _werewolf_ , he shouldn't be defeated by a few sheets of material and some sticks.

They've set up camp in a little clearing in the woods, with enough space for the tent and some chairs and a little camping stove Jocelyn's neighbour had lent them. By the time Jocelyn gets back, Luke's won the tent-battle and is unfurling their sleeping bags inside it.

"Nice work," Jocelyn says, squeezing Luke's arm. 

"I'm a man of many talents," Luke says, and he catches the way Jocelyn wiggles her eyebrows at him as she crouches down to smooth out the sleeping bags.

They fry steak for dinner over the campfire, Luke insisting that everyone has some salad on the side. He cuts Clary and Simon's tomatoes in half, then arranges them with some cucumber sticks into a smiley face. Simon grabs a handful of grated carrot and splonks it on top of the salad face on Clary's plate, claiming it now looks like her, and Clary looks mildly offended for a moment before she's laughing. 

It's good to see the kids so happy and carefree, getting a childhood Luke and Jocelyn were never granted themselves. Even with everything they've been through to get here, Luke wouldn't change it for the world. He looks across to Jocelyn, finds she's already reaching her hand out for his, and smiles at her. Her eyes are bright in the light of the fire.

"You gotta eat your salads, guys," Jocelyn says, clearing her throat, "or no dessert."

"I can't eat Clary," Simon points out sadly, his finger circling in the air over where he's added a salad-Clary to his own plate.

"It's okay," Clary tells him kindly. "I'll forgive you. That's what friends are for."

Simon beams at her and pushes his glasses up his nose before happily munching on some carrot. Luke can't help but smile, catching Jocelyn's eye.

Once they've finished their food Jocelyn _um_ s and _ah_ s and loudly debates with Luke about whether they should be allowed dessert. Clary turns to Luke with big puppy eyes. Simon's beside her, nodding along, brown eyes wide behind his glasses.

"Please, Luke," Simon says.

"Please, Dad," Clary adds, and Luke's momentarily speechless, heart expanding and overcome with emotion. 

He swallows the lump in his throat - how did he ever end up so lucky as to get this? - and reaches over to ruffle their hair.

"Sure thing, kiddo," he tells her. "How could I say 'no' to you?"

Jocelyn whips out the marshmallow packet to Clary and Simon's cheers, and once Luke's got the fire roaring they take it in turns to help the children roast marshmallows. Clary gets the hang of it pretty quickly, having the knack to get them gooey but not burnt. She informs them all primly that turning the skewer is just like holding a paint brush. A few of Simon's get a bit burnt, his concentration wandering as he holds them over the fire, more focussed on telling them excitedly about  _The Incredibles_.

Luke can feel the tension draining from his body; his hellish week at work feels far away, like his whole world is the three people in front of him. In a way, it is - since his family disowned him, something that still bullets him through with pain now, he's made his own family, found his own people. 

Simon's still on his movie story, though somewhere along the way it seems to have got entwined with a tale his sister told him about real life superheroes and villains in New York. It's almost so cliché, sitting round a campfire, swapping stories - though Luke reckons there're tales in his and Jocelyn's past that are closer to villains almost destroying the world than he ever wants Clary and Simon to have to experience - that Luke is ready to join in and go with it, but then he notices Clary's expression.

"I don't think I like that story," she says, crossing over to Luke and resting a hand on his knee. She looks up at him.

Luke sweeps a strand of red hair behind her ear. "Don't worry," he tells her. "Your Mom and I will always be here to keep you safe."

"Promise?" Clary asks, arching an eyebrow. She looks so serious in the firelight.

"Promise," Luke confirms. Clary smiles at this, the turns and plucks another marshmallow from the bag and spears it with her skewer. She holds it over the fire as Simon enthusiastically continues his story despite Jocelyn's efforts to calm him a little.

"He swoops down and _bang!"_ Simon yells, jumping off his chair. Clary squeals and the marshmallow stick goes flying up in the air. As if in slow motion, Luke can see it happening, but he's too slow to stop it. The stick bounces off Clary's head and sticks there, the gooey sugar holding it in place.

To Clary's credit, she doesn't cry, she just looks a little perturbed and tries to pull it out. But that does nothing, and then her panic begins to set in. Simon, for his part, looks guilt-ridden, suddenly up in front of Clary and fussing at her, apologising. 

"Luke," Jocelyn says calmly, "could you find the penknife in my bag, please?"

" _Knife_?" Clary squeaks. 

Simon looks a bit sick. "Please don't cut all of Clary's hair off, Jocelyn," he says. 

Jocelyn smiles reassuringly. "I won't, honey," she says. "Just the part that has marshmallow in it."

Clary only allows her mother to trim her hair if she can sit on Luke's lap. Simon holds her hand, telling her it will be alright, and Luke has a fleeting thought that they're all being entirely ridiculous, making such a big deal out of this. But this is his life now, and as he meets Jocelyn's eye, he knows he wouldn't have it any other way.

They make it through the rest of the night without any more marshmallow-related mishaps, and before long the kids are falling asleep where they're sitting. Jocelyn and Luke half-carry, half-walk the children into the tent, settling them down inside the sleeping bags. Once they're firmly asleep, Luke and Jocelyn head back outside.

"Thank you," Jocelyn says quietly, resting her head against Luke's shoulder. Luke tilts his head to lean against hers. "You do so much for us. I just want you to know that I appreciate you."

"I do," Luke says. "We do it for each other."

Jocelyn pulls away then and smiles at him. Luke presses a kiss to her temple and then wraps her in his arms. She sighs happily and tugs him closer. The two of them sit wrapped up in each other by the dying light of the campfire, lost in the moment.

It's only when they've trudged back to their car the next day and Clary catches sight of herself in the wing mirror that she starts whimpering. Simon helps Jocelyn load the trunk while Luke tries to calm Clary, and he manages to get her into the car. She blinks at him dolefully as he helps her put her seatbelt on, tears spilling over her lashes. 

"I don't wanna look like a boy, Luke," she cries. "Mommy cut all my hair off when I told her not to!"

Simon starts clambering up into the backseat of the car and Jocelyn helps him put his seatbelt on. Luke nudges Clary with his elbow to get her attention again.

"She cut a tiny bit off, Clary," he tells her gently, "which was the best thing to do." Clary isn't mollified and her bottom lip begins to push out into a pout, which Luke knows will end in a real meltdown soon. "Listen to me, kiddo: no matter what you look like, you're still beautiful to me," he tells her. She bites her lip. "And I will  _always_ love you."

Clary stares at him for a moment and he holds her gaze, and then she nods slowly. "I will always love you," she says, and man, if Luke didn't have to drive home he probably would have melted right there and then. "Whatever you look like. Even when you're old."

Luke smiles. "Watch it," he says, poking her playfully. She grins at him, eyes less watery. He leans in. "D'you want to know a secret?" he asks. She nods eagerly. "Everyone else here will always love you too."

Jocelyn nods. "It's true," she says. Beside Clary, Simon is nodding ferociously too.

Crisis averted, Luke and Jocelyn get in the car. Jocelyn squeezes Luke's thigh as they set off, mouthing  _thank you_ , and he smiles at her.

Luke looks at Clary and Simon in the rearview mirror. 

"Who wants to play a game?" he asks, and cheers resound in the car in reply.

Simon goes first, and soon they're all giggling as Luke drives them home.

**Author's Note:**

> shh no one can tell i didn't know how to end it it's fine
> 
> i'm on tumblr @[lightwoodlesbians](http://lightwoodlesbians.tumblr.com) :)


End file.
